Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-15
LOUIE AND [.

| had even heen DIlSnt ana WHY Uul sucu
a little simple simpleton as l.
never in all my life had the least e1pec-
tation of lovers, or Of any sort of admiring
glances; and ] never had any. And some
times mother used to say she guessed it
was Just as well; for IL she had had to dress
two girls out for their pretty looks, as she
did one, it would have beggared her
Mother only had little money, just barely
enough to live on, and some Of the princi-
pal going every year; hut it wouldn't have
been in human nature, having a daughter
50 pretty as Louie, not TO want her to have
the best that would set or her peach bloom
beauty: and for my part, | never grudged
Louie "a rose or a ribbon couldn't have
worn them if had had them; for | wss
far too proud 10 try to do what nature
hadn't. or to pretend ! thought such things
became me; and | liked my print dresses
and plain collars better for Inyself.
But when Louie was dressed in her mus
Inns till she looked like one Of the old fash
ionesi blush roses 80 white without and 50
delicstely flushed within, her lovely yellow
hair breaking out in sunny curis all over her
head, and she all radiant, As YOU might say.
with her skin her smiles, her teeth. her great
blue basming eves-then | ussHi to like to
look at her rs much aS any uf her lovers did,
look at her as | would lock at any lovely
picture; and she always turned from her
gayeSt scene, the dear lit e prrson. to give
her sweetest smile to me.
So when Dennis began all at once to
come ~ our house, as il he had Just seen
Louie for the first time h his life, l was only
DELIGHTED For every as who knew him
loved and honorcd DeJ ais Reed, who was
the soul of all integrity. aud II he wasn't
n beauty himself, he WIS stalwart son OF
Saul, and had the incest little place in the
region. a cottage up Lane. over looking
the river and with wool behind its or
Charri and across the railway cut, TO keep of
the east wind, if the east wind could ever
blow in that sunny nook. with garden
SPOT made and blooming in every Granny Of
the rocks around il.
But nv first thought was none of that,
only that | liked Dennis Reed 50 much |
liked Ia have him feel how lovely Louie
was; | liked to have him come to see her;
| | liked to think Of her as safe with sach
sweet, strong soul as | fancied his (" be;
| and last of all thought how pleasant was
the home he had TO give her, and it pleased
ME tn place Louie there, in my thoughts,
! among ali the rocks and flowers, looking
! ont upon the river.
! Not that it made any odds 10 Dennis what
7 Thought about il all. | doubt if in those
! DAYS he knew any more than that existed,
| going his happy way with his head in the
| clouds. and eyes and heart only for his love,
50 he marriel her and took her away,
/ and a happier nest Of singing birds than
! that in the little cottage among the rocks
! aud flowers could nowhere have been
| found. unless il were in my own heart, at
! the sight of the happiness there.
But then mother fell sick. and it took
| all Hry time to care for her; AMI cou!dn'
| 90 up to Louie's very often. for hal every
| thing to do at home and was tired out by
nightfall and often up half the night be
| sides Louie cuuldn' very well come down
often. and IL she had come she wouldn't
have known what TO do. Poor mother.
| Once. | remember, she said tn ma, II don {
know but it's more satisfactory to have
one daughter plain than anything else. "
| And it made my heart bound. And then
| reproachsd myself for my sclfishness IN
caring to hear her say that over Louie 5
head. ss it were; but | remembered it long
afterwHrt and sometimes it used to give
me a thrub Of joy when everything was
drrary and seemed {" BE- alone in the world.
For mother died presently. And then II
turned out that She had been living on her
little property more than we had dreamed
and Louie's outfit and her own long illness
and its bills had used up her money. And
when everything was paid, there was only
enough left for me to hire one room as a
sort Of refuge when I came home at night
from working at my trade, for had quite
| q knack at dressmsking. | did not put on
mourning; for | WAS glad that mother
wss out Of pain. and was glad that she had
gone before sh. knew that all the property
wac gone and she, with her proud spirit,
would have had to be dependent. But
Louie did-and oh! what beauty she was,
with her black grapes falling around her,
so waIy, fair and rosy and transparent! of
courss she didn't miss mother the way |
did. How could she, with Dennis waiting
ON her every wishr And she didn't seem 10
want anybody but Dennis, either; so
didn't sce q great deal Of her, only when
she had something new to make up, or
something old TO alter over; and then she
and Dennis we're out, most of the time,
strolling along the rocks or planting a new
flower garden or she was going to meet
him coming from his work or running into
the next neighbor's across the pasture, and
had almost nothing Of her, except at try
|
ing on tiiues we're trying times, and no
wonder For If yoa had such a perfect
little figure as Louie had you would want
your dress to look as IL you had been
melted and poured into it, too. | Used To
wonder at Louie then. little sometimes;
not for not sitting at home sewing and help
ing me on the work, because You might as
well have asked a humming bird TO dc
I l.l. l,,r Tor tat, IL,
the house and keeping things trig and tidy.
And used TO bs afraid that il l were Den
mis-. and there were holes in my socks, and
half the buttons of my clothes, and my
coat and hat never brushed, and | came
home and found nothing for dinner-no'
even the cloth Iuid-ani my wife off enjoy
ing herself somewhere else. and the dust
everywhere 50 that | could write my
name. that | shouldn't feel recompenseI
for all that by having my wife stroll round
hanging on my arm, looking as pretty as {
new blown iusc And yet, although ths
houss must often have been thoroughly un
comfortable TO Dennis, he never gave a sigl
thot it was not Paradise itself; and l came
10 the conclusion that he didn't really mis-!
those other things. and was satisfied witt
what he had.
used TO go up into the Eden sometimes
without being sent for, and mend up every
thing and put the whole house straight
but couldn't 20 50 very often. on account
! Of nv work: and, besides, 1 had n sensation
of intruding where two people wanted br'
each other
But at last the babies came; and then
had to 60 And l.oui- Was wild with dc
light and insisted on having them laid o.
the pillow close 10 her cheek, and talke<
and laughed and Good and cried 10 then
with such ghttaring eyes and dazzling colo
in her face snd ssid it wSs all she wanted
ereu if she were in Heaven tomorrow
But vcur husband. Louie / exclaimed
oh, husbands are all very well. sh'
said. But | haven't been such an aU
fully good WIFE You'd have made Denni
great deal better wife, dear. for the matte
Of rhnt But my little sous Oh! know
coud be cood mother
Size was in Heaven tomorrow. the dea
Etuo iuroccnt soul, snd one of the babio
Vel: with her.